Inventions

Raoul Casadei was not only the "King of the Smooth", composer and interpreter of popular music that brought the Romagna genre to national success. It was also a visionary entrepreneur capable of transforming a local tradition into a cultural and commercial phenomenon of great importance. His volcanic and creative personality led him to develop original ideas and new projects, ranging from the creation of spectacular events to pioneer marketing operations for his time.

One of the most iconic inventions of Raoul Casadei is what has been renamed by the press Reggia Traveling, a tailor-made coach to ensure maximum comfort to the Orchestra during long tours through Italy. Every year, the group traveled thousands of kilometres, making a stop in a real travelling journey of music. This bus was equipped with large seats, comfortable and completely reclining, with personal tables and power outlets, a real luxury for the time. In those years there was no digital cell phones or platforms and this level of technology was really extraordinary.

In 1975 Raoul had an ambitious idea: to create a gigantic place to which everyone could easily access, without exclusions. The project was born Centro Internazionale Ca’ del Liscio, located in the countryside. This disco, a large structure suspended on columns, represented a revolution for the time: a multipurpose center that housed congress halls, restaurants, bars, entertainment areas and an impressive concert hall with a huge stage and dance floor. The hall, designed with amphitheatre, entirely in step and without any column, ensured a perfect view of the shows from each location.

In this extraordinary location, internationally renowned artists such as Ray Charles, Vasco Rossi, Raffaella Carrà, Renato Zero and Grace Jones performed. RAI turned the structure into a television studio for sports and special New Year events broadcast in national live. Every evening, coaches full of fans arrived from all over Italy, attracting the attention of the media that nicknamed the place the Mecha of the Ball.

The numbers of the club that for years was the largest in Italy

• Start of work: March 1976
• Opening: November 1977
• Costs: 2 billion Lire
• Complete project estimated at 8 billion Lire
• Area: 3.000 sqm
• 5,000 seats
• 580 tables
• Capacity of 8,000 people
• Materials: 2,000 quintals of concrete
• 230.000 kg of iron for cover

In the 1980s, Raoul brought the dance to the sea along the Riviera Romagnola with the Ship of the Sun, a motorship-Showboat that could accommodate up to 250 people (although often the number exceeded 300). The motorship with a lot of small stage, DJ corner and dance floor, offered themed parties, dance competitions, dance courses and even fishing in the high sea with fish fries prepared at the moment. The cheerful atmosphere attracted people from all over Italy and often hosted television recordings for RAI and Mediaset.

Nel 1976 Raoul ebbe l’idea di seguire il Giro d’Italia regalando un concerto dopo ogni tappa ciclistica. L’Orchestra si esibiva su una nave su ruote adibita a palco mobile, montata sulla carena di un camion con la quale raggiungeva ogni località del percorso, anticipando l’arrivo dei ciclisti con canti, balli e dediche raccolte dal pubblico. La sigla del giro d’Italia “Pedala Pedala” fu scritta da Raoul Casadei.

Ad accompagnarlo sul palcoscenico per i 21 giorni della gara ciclistica, 80 ospiti della famosa rivista TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, icona della musica e dello spettacolo italiano. Questa struttura mobile riuscì a trasformare l’attesa in una festa: la gente si affacciava alle finestre per ballare e cantare, creando un’atmosfera unica e indimenticabile.

Sempre negli anni ’90 Raoul, insieme alla figlia Carolina, iniziò a registrare negli uffici del Recinto una trasmissione radiofonica intitolata ’Navigando col re del ballo’, ispirata all’omonimo album di grande successo. Questo programma, una sorta di precursore dei podcast, offriva un viaggio nella musica romagnola, alternando racconti e curiosità alla presentazione dei brani dell’Orchestra. Le registrazioni venivano poi distribuite alle principali radio locali in tutte le regioni d’Italia. La stessa cosa fu realizzata anche con trasmissioni televisive autoprodotte e distribuite nelle Tv locali italiane.